Online Claimant Form

Please answer these questions as best you can. If you do not know the answers or you cannot remember, that is not as important as completing the form to the best of your ability.

NAME

BIRTH NAME (if you know it)/ANY OTHER NAME GIVEN

EMAIL ADDRESS (if you have one, or an email address of someone to whom we can send one)

STREET ADDRESS

CITY

PROVINCE

POSTAL CODE

TELEPHONE NUMBER

DATE OF BIRTH

NAME OF BIRTH MOTHER (if you know it)

NAME OF BIRTH FATHER (if you know it)

NAME OF THE RESERVE OR NATIVE COMMUNITY OF YOUR FAMILY (if you know it)

1. You are a status Indian. Yes

No

If yes, status number:

2. In your life, and when you were a child, you once lived on an Indian reserve in Ontario. Yes

No

3. In your life, and when you were a child, (i.e. a person under 18 years of age), you were removed from the reserve in Ontario. Yes

No

4. When removed from a reserve, you ended up living with non-aboriginal persons. Yes

No

5. You were living with non-aboriginal persons as a foster child, or ward of a children's aid society or ward of the Crown. Yes

No

6. You were living with non-aboriginal persons as an adopted child. Yes

No

7. You were removed from the reserve in Ontario between December 1, 1965 and December 31, 1984 Yes

No

8. When you lived with non-aboriginal persons, you were raised in accordance with your aboriginal customs, traditions, and practices. Yes

No

9. You are a non-Status Indian. Yes

No

10. You are a non-Status Indian but consider yourself to be aboriginal. You were removed from your aboriginal community when you were a child and placed with non-aboriginal persons. You were not raised in accordance with your aboriginal customs, traditions, and practices. Yes

138 Responses to Online Claimant Form

Hi my name is Rebecca I was taken away when I was very little and their is huge gap in my life that I dont remember its very foggy memory but I remember bits of pieces of it. My little brother and I were taken from my reserve when we were very little. My little brother pass away at very young age, I know he had rough life and I miss him deeply. Remember my little brother and I were playing behind the school on my reserve and their is non-native lady came up to us and talk with us (me and my brother at that time) I cant remember what she said but she put us in a beat up truck and she told me and my little brother to hide under a orange blanket or tarp I cant remember what is was but it was orange and we stayed under the orange thingy, she took us behind the reserve and I knew we had to hurry. When we look up their was a bush plane, she told us to get us in plane so my brother and I did. I remember landing in town she said it was Sioux Lookout but at that time we didnt know what is come to us but all we know my little brother and I were splite up and I didnt see him for awhile. All I knew at that time that we were bother scared.

After reading messages on this website, my heart aches. I remember that the Toronto Star had a feature called Today’s Child, with a pic of cute little siblings up for adoption. I turned 10 in 1960 so most of them were native. I wanted to rescue every one and begged my parents to adopt. I had 5 younger siblings at the time, and loved them all. My mom had reached her limit for parenting, and besides was very leary of taking in children of a background so different from hers. Looking back, I think she was right. Having a generous heart isn’t enougn to make an adopton work and there was no training or support to help overcome misconceptions and unreasonable expectations for either parents or kids. So many kids were and still are damaged if they go or if they stay. What a mess forefathers made on both sides.

hi there just want to say thank you for doing this for all of us …that feels left out in this world feeling like we don’t belong in our own family at times or just fit in ,,,,,,not sure if anyone else feels that way but l have for many years l am older now and still feel that way at times always asking myself why me why did happen to me and why couldn’t any of my family members taking me in when l needed a place to stay. But that’s something l live with all my life and l still dream and still scared to ask for anything. But yes life still goes on with me ever feel whole again and l go throw life feeling lost l have my own family now that shows me love , understanding of who l am and what l am … But now l have a problem to teach my own grandson of our own cultural l don’t even understand it myself so how l am suppose to teach him …. can someone out there tell me how …sorry l get carried away on this ….this is a fine product of a child taken from her family in a young age. l just hope and pray it wouldn’t happen to another child out there and l pray for them.

While I was a crown ward of Ontario, I was raised not knowing my culture, family or language.
I feel that being in the foster system denied my human rights as a child. I was prevented from attending my birth mother’s funeral which was held on reserve in 1972. I believe I am a survivor of cultural genocide and this has greatly impacted me during my lifetime.

I was taken from my family at the age of 2 and passed on through many foster care families to age 16 when I removed myself from the CAS system. One of the families had me baptized Catholic. I never even knew I was native until I met my wife,who is also native, told me I should inquire if I was. The CAS denied me access to any information on my birth family. In time, I later found out they told my birth mother they did not know where I was at all during the years where 7 or 8 families tossed me around.(each family only keeping me for about 2 years at a time) I was an unwanted child.

.Lately I have been feeling that I need to participate in a very big way!!! I was not even adopted and suffered greatly at the hands of a group of people who had no intentions of looking after me but rather kill me slowly with great loathing!!! How did I slip their a gov’t based company into which nobody seen that I was AUTISTIC??!! I am ready to TALK!!!

I am taking the repsonsibility by submitting this claimant form, for my birth Grandmother who whispered in my ear ” tell my story …’,my birth mother who was raped several times because she was an Indian and one week before she passed on, asking forgiveness to me as her first born child “forgive me that they took you away at birth because I was an unwed mother, for my 3 children to give back their cultural heritage and for myself for my stolen childhood.
Judy Hooymeyer PhD in Sociology
aka Denise Marie Williams
given name Gi-Ha ‘lost found daughter’

How do I know if the correction was made on my application or not….I made an error when answering one the questions and was not able to go back and correct it. So I sent a message….addressing my concern…

I Don’t know if I’m a 60’s scoop baby or not. All I know is I am Native and Born in the 70’s! I was adopted y a white family and raised as a white man. I have struggled to learn what it means to be Iroqouis. I am status and through a chance fluke encounter met my birth mother. She refused to answer any questions about who I am or how I came to be where I am. She refuses to discuss anything about my Biological father. I have zero answers. When I asked her what it means to be a Native her answer was short, “I Don’t Know!” I was told later by here adopted sister that she had been in a residential school before being adopted herself. I don’t know how to get answers anymore but think my birth must have been due to traumatic experiences or resulted in traumatic experiences. This has haunted me since a child and even finding my biological mother has given me only more questions that may never be answered. What can I do?
My biological mother no longer communicates with me because she is afraid I will ask more questions.

I (gary/m/Johnston) know the pain, Rain! My mother left me on the corner of Gerrard & Sherbourne in the Fall (Septmeber) of 1960 … all I and my two Siblings saw was (her) Mom walking away from us! Forever! (I was 10 my sisters were 9 and 7) ALL my life; such as it was, could be described as: ‘Very difficult’. That’s all I have to say … for now. Be Strong Rain.

Holy , I had the same responses from my birth mother after I found her. She wanted nothing to do with how when and where of my birth, or even who my birth father was. It seemed to pain her and she would just brush me off by saying she didn’t remember that time in her life . It’s good to hear stories like yours and proves that it’s not only me going through this stuff. I was adopted and raised in a white family home but was told I was native all along. I have status and have reunited with my birth family. Thank god for this site and Id like to hear more open stories about what I and others have experienced.

Hello Rain….I had very similar experience with my adoption. My biological mother has said nothing to me about back then. I have gotten no answers….For the longest time I didn’t believe she was my mother. I didn’t really clue in that I was first nations until I was about 18. That is when I applied for my status card. My parents that raised me tried very hard to incorporate first nations culture in my life but I just wanted to be like my brother and sister that I grew up with. Now, I am trying very hard to understand first nations way of living and gather as much knowledge as I can. It still feels foreign to me. When I hear drums and singing at the big house I cry…it is powerful to me…but I don’t understand it. When I went to my reserve years ago I was amazed at how much I look like some of the locals there….I felt some sort of relief from that….I finally look like someone! I hope to be able to do some healing soon. I hope that all the First nations children that were mis-placed growing up get healing and recognition soon. Take care!

I am hurt to this day, i cry because nobody cared untill, i been sexually abused, coraneen in bedrooms, i went without meals, the people who took care of me, hated me cause i was native, they would make me build horse fences, i hate Cas , They never kept me in school long enough to achieve anything such as high school or even one grade.
I been to many different homes. I live a hard life, then ,now,im sad..have untold stories to tell , i carry this hurt inside me everyday,:(”

I grew up being beaten as an infant??? I did Not fit in at school with anyone cuz I was native yet was raised by white people. I WAS ROBBED OF MY CULTURE AND FAMILY GREW UP feeling alone with No family Yet I have a huge family on both sides of my parents. Sadly know very little of them Don’t really know family or heritage

who is going to pay for the physical and mental abuse and the rape and torture that I and my siblings suffered under the crowns care? these people should have their balls cut off and then shot in the fucking head these perverts

There is a lot of loss for all of us in this situation. I have uncovered some on my own and well it leaves me with more questions than answers which I want to answer for the sack my children’s understanding of the person who is their mother. I seek a lot of information but would like to find the truth. There is some medical info I would need as to pass on also which is important.

I WAS TAKEN FROM MY HOME FROM MY FATHERS CARE WHILE HE WAS ON TRIAL AND PLACED TO LIVE WITH AN ANGLICAN PRIST, COLON DIXON. THIS WAD IN 1964. HE MADE ME SLEEP IN A SINGLE BED WITH HIM WITH ME AGAINST THE WALL. HE TRIED TO MOLEST ME NIGHT AFTER NIGHT. I WAS A BIG KID AND WAS ABLE TO PREVENT ACTUAL SEXUAL ABUSE BUT IT LEFT SCARS ON MY SOLE.

I was removed from my home and entered the Welfare system as a PGO. Within one year I was in 18 different Foster homes and then an Orphanage about 2 hours from my reserve. During those years in care I was beaten, starved, mal-nourished and abused in every manner possible. By the age of 4 1/2 I was adopted into a French/Canadian home in Toronto. I never met another Native person until I was almost 17 years old. By then it was almost too late for any possible healing to take place. All those years away from my birth family, home, community and heritage will forever leave a deep scar on my sole.

Hello. We all have our own experiances and story to tell, and they should be told plus listen to and this is a sumurary of mine. My name was changed from Steven to Mark (6 years old) when I was adopted on the 4th of Oct. 1960. I am not sure of the location were I was born, but it was some were in the Prov. of Ont on Feb 1st 1954. In those early days, there is no memory them untill one year before I was adopted. It is from this point and time that I remembered every thing vividly to this day.
It was late summer in the year of 1959 (5years old) and all of a sudden, like a ton of bricks, It seemed I had just come to life and became aware of every thing around me, because untill then I had no memory of anything previous to that momment in time. It was like “I awoke” for the first time in the front seat of a car. The memory was so vivid, the weather was raining, a railroad train was travling along side of the road we were traveling , with a social worker who’s name I still recall to this day. Her name, Miss O’Brian, of the Chatholic Children Aid Society of Ont, and she was taking me to a non-aborignal foster home. That was the day that I seamed to have awakend. The foster home were I was placed, was a young couple who were building a house on the corner on there parents farm, and to my surprise there were two other boys witch I was the youngest.
I could talk more of my time there, and do not need to at this time, so lets move on. A year later, I was relocated to the city of Toronto, (Wilowdale) and adopted to a couple who had four other adopted children. All of the children, eccept two were of diffrent ethnic back grounds with me being the youngest of five, (1 Polish, 2 Scotch, 1 Anglo Saxon, my self, French-Aboriginal, Parents 5th generation Irish Roman Chatholic). This became the famliy that I was to spend my formidial years growing up with. I have come to apreceate the charicture that they instilled in me of knowing what was right and wrong. along with instlling a sence of social justice. We never grew up for of want as far as the matrial world went, but did lack in the nuturing expresion of love and the closeness that a maturnial famliy experiances.
The chatholic ethoes of disipline were a foundation of that famliy and this can be exstremly tramitic that can leave a lasting affect on one for ever. The residual effect of that and lack of emotial support has never alowed me to feel that they were ever a family to me. It was allways comunicated to me in not so suttle a manner, that I was a lieing, “thieving, sneeky Indian”. But to make it all the more specal they would say, (“I was their”), “lieing, thieving, sneeky Indian”. How touching. With hurtfull comments and words like that I was being instilled with a ethios of guilt. How’s a little boy suppose grow up under that kind of influance? When your that young and as time moves on you tend to keep things burried, and if you found someone to share these thoughts with, likely the response would be, “man up” or “deal with it”.
With social scripting like that it is no wonder why I have been astranged from them scince the early seventies. The only contact has been few and far between, plus from a distance The emotional skill set that have been left with, were the only tools I had to go forward into this world, has left me in quite a deficit.
I have a longing for a ethnic foundation of knowing what my cultural make up is. I am in need of finding a communitty that I can identify with that gives me a sence of history. Last of all I long for a family that I have never known. I do not expect much, but I can still dream that I can find in myself some kind of grounding.
That is another story all together, and at this time I will not head in that direction as I would hope that all those that read this, can to apreceate and can empithise with what most of us have had to overcome. Regarless, how ever the paths we have chosen, the dissions that have been made, weather they were positive or not, one has to understand the difence between “resons and excuses”. There are no excuses but there are resons. When that is understood, then one has aquired another tool allowing one to move forward. It is this fundimental tool, that I try to keep front and center and keep in mind, that others have not reconciled to that princible that I have discovered. We will move forward in our own way and our own time.
As the story of the residental schools are told and the injustus of First Peoples, from shore to shore to shore evolves, and the history of how others in this country have been treated, do to their ethnic origin, “Our storys of those that were caught up in the 60s scoop, need to be told”.
The nation of Canada must face up to their leagecy of colonization, bias and bigitry that were some of the foundations that built this country. If not in doing so, the nation does not deserve to say, that it has become a great nation. It must face up to the trurth of it’s history. But in the end, if they, the larger communitty of this country, are able to look truthfully back at their past in an honest sincerity, face up to it’s true history, then, and only then, they can leave their children with a legacy that “Canada is a great nation”

I was told by foster(adopted)family that foster care took me from Hospital,I was 2 weeks old when foster parents took me in their home.Then they adopted me because the children services would send me back to reserve in Alberta they were told.I was raised in catholic family,I thought was
pretty good because I didn’t know better.Got abused mentally and physically.Lied to all my life.I don’t know if I fit in your category of the scoop but I know I was scooped away from my native family and culture, got a life time of heartache and bad memories that I have been trying to conquer for the last 16 years while raising my grand children as a single grand mother.What else can I say it’s a long story.

Some questions were not able to be answered correctly. Unsure if I am actual 60s scoop, but was placed in home, adopted, raised as a catholic. Beaten, whipped and sexually abused. One punishment which stuck, told to go out in yard and do a rain dance till it rains and don’t stop. No idea what this “mother” meant. Had no idea who I really was till I left when I was eighteen.

I was apprehended in 1972, along with one younger sister and the youngest three of my five brothers. I was just curious, I have this memory of being placed in a room with tons of toys and a hug mirror on one wall. The social workers told us we could only stay in the room if we were happy. I found out later that the mirror was a one-way window and we were being videotaped. This tape was later sent out to CAS offices around the country so that someone would adopt us. Does anyone else have a memory like this too?

Disenfranchised at the time, was taken/stolen by the CAS as a child of about three or four, was placed into at least two fosters homes; thereby taking away any cultural, language or semblance of being in a loving family situation. My brother and sister too were taken/stolen, from me and by extension us; my brother was given crown ward status as was I, however, my sister about a year younger then I, was adopted out to a family in Burlington, ON. I reunited with my brother when I was about 13 years of age, and at the time, my brother was being physically assault/abuse by the family he was with who were charged with his well-being. My sister, however, I finally met after 42 years, in the spring/summer of 2014. We have lost our mother before my sister could see her once more; furthermore, she has lost her cultural identity and has taken on the cultural identity that was given to her through her adoptive parents, as well, as her ability to speak, understand or know language of the Anishnaabek people has been effectively stripped/stolen from her, by the actions of the government of the years before, during and after her adoption. The same for my brother, with the exception of being a crown ward and was physically, emotionally, and mentally abused, by his foster parents. And finally the same happened to me, as far as cultural assimilation practices of the time went, lost of language, culture, and up bring. All of this suffering justified by saying my mother was unfit, I wonder who said that? And I wonder what made that possible? Residential school perhaps, the inability to love because it was beaten out of her? With Sexual, emotional, physical and spiritual abuse of power over Indian children in forced assimilation practices designed to destroy the Indian, but, save the Child? Damn I am angry.

After my birth mother spent time in Indian residential school @ the mush hole in Brantford Ontario she gave birth to five children and took her life in 1976 as a result of lost identity. I was adopted out of Hamilton in 1961 & raised without my culture & tradition always being different & treated that way by adopted family & the community I grew up in being teased for being a Indian. This upbringing caused myself to become a defiant child, teenager, adult having many issues like being abused by my adopted father ( an alcoholic ) who abused me in every sense of the way. I found I developed behavioural, ignorance, spirituality, racial, alcohol & drug addictions that I still address today. I’d always wanted to have my cultural & traditions in my life as I could not identify any type of faith / spirituality & have truly struggled threw my life, & continue @ 55 years old. Some of the questions that were in the registry were not applicable to me but filled out to the best of my ability & memory.

Hey Larry, we have a lot of similar issues, growing up in a community where there were no other native people my brother and i were treated as outcasts teased bullied degraded for being an indian, the people that raised us were okay but we were not allowed to talk about where we came from or who our parents were or even acknowledge that we were native. I too developed the same issues which haunt me to this day altho alcohol was a big factor in my life for my entire life i did manage to quit drinking about 13 yrs ago. it sure helped me and im glad i quit but i still deal with a lot of issues stemming from my childhood and young adulthood. Feel free to contact me if you want or need someone to talk to i too am 55 yrs old.

I was born in Yorkton, SK on December 3rd, 1965 and was in foster care until I was adopted by a government agency who’s mandate was to adopt Indian Metis children into non-aboriginal homes in 1969. I am a child of the 1960’s scoop and to this day I’m angered that I lost out on my culture (Plains Cree). This form deals with Ontario but I was taken in Saskatchewan – am I included in this class action suit? We should be.

My Name is Rick Ross Myers, and I answered the question 8 wrong which I think the answer should be “Yes”, “When you lived with non-aboriginal persons, you were not raised in accordance with your aboriginal customs, traditions, and practices.” I refilled out the form with the correction so please note that. Thanks.

I was raised in many abusive foster homes in a country that isn’t even mine. Many would call that kidnapping, they called it placement. I carry the scars of this travesty in my personal psyche and always will wonder how this could have happened.

It breaks my heart reading some of these comments posted here. I too was adopted out of an abusive foster home in the early 70’s in Canada. I was told by my adopted USA parents that I was a full-blooded Cree Indian born in the late 60’s in Dawson Creek, BC.

As a young man, it was always unclear to me as to why I was originally put into foster care to begin with when I was a young boy. Now after doing more research and stumbling upon these Sixties Scoop heart wrenching personal stories, things are beginning to make much more sense.

My adopted family gave me a good life and maybe a better start than I would have ever had and therefor I will always be grateful to them forever. However, there was always a difference in the way I felt in terms of pain and insecurity growing up as adopted or forgotten child.

During my entire adult life I tried to take comfort in knowing that my birth parents or birth mother put me up for adoption – “In order for me to have a better start at life”. My subconscious fear was always – that if I ever did find my original birth parents, they wouldn’t want to meet me and that we would never get to know the people that we’ve become. Those thoughts have plagued me for a lifetime and this fear had continued to play like an endless broken record in my head. Until now…

Fast forward many years, and now I’m nearly 50 years young, married to an incredible women for nearly two decades and a proud father of incredible twin boys – well, their teenagers now in high school.

I realize now the circumstances surrounding my adoption. And…like many of you I may not find all the answers I am looking for, but I can take some comfort in knowing that I am NOT alone and that I was NOT given up by my aboriginal birth parents. My journey is NOT over, it’s just beginning…I’m looking forward to learning more about my Indian heritage and sharing our culture with my family and one day our grandchildren – The journey of our hearts!

I was a crown ward for about two years at the age of 2, with two siblings, adopted to a white family, stripped of my aboriginal rights and status, beaten every day for trivial things by my adoptive mother while my adoptive father watched, raped by their son and one other relative, only to survive and suffer throughout my adult life with shame and embarrassment. I will never forgive the government for what I’ve had to endure. The scars run so deep that I am emotionally incapable of feeling anything but depression and unacceptance in today’s society. Every day someone somewhere will find a way to insult me or remind me that I’m aboriginal. I’ve had nothing but hard times finding work because of my heritage. It took almost 8 years for me to finally receive my aboriginal status only to have it say “Indian Status”. What an insult. I know for a fact my adoptive parents didn’t care for me, they baptised me as Catholic, beat me, treated me like a prisoner, was not allowed to have friends. In school, I was teased, beaten and insulted so many times I barely made through high school. I hope to find reconciliation someday, and my adoptive parents are both deceased, and I couln’t bring myself to ever forgive them.
May no one else ever suffer such a fate, for by the power of the ancients they will be found and healed.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Clermont

don’t understand who picked the dates for the class action lawsuit. What about all the children that were taken before the class action law suit criteria date or perhaps after the last date. I myself was scooped in 1961 at birth. I still filled out the registration as I want them to see there are others that should qualify as well.
In reading some of the other comments it makes me feel uneasy. As many of the stories are so similar to mine. If you are in the area of Ottawa there is a gathering of indigenous adoptees and foster care on August 24-27,2015 So happy to see they have included foster care as well as adoptees because they lived the same loss as we adoptees did. I cant wait to connect with others that will truly understand who I am.

Having grown up off the reserve was very difficult for me. Not knowing my biological family is very painful for me to this day even not being raised as a traditional Indain is painful and dad it’s like a void in my life everyday that can’t be filled and leaves me feeling depressed and empty.

Sorry I didn’t know about this sooner but a cousin was just showing me this article and that’s why my entry was so late but yes we were taken away when we were young me and my brother and sisters but one had just passed away recently, I hope we are not to late to apply.

Hi, my parents where taken from me before I was born. I do not know my culture, my tradition, my language. My father raised me the way he was raise in residential school. I am in pain.
Canada was successful, and I am in pain.

Aanii, I have submitted a form on behalf of my father who was born to a woman who didnt speak a word of english in a metis communtiy in Manitoba. He was adopted to a non-native catholic family in Ontario who mistreated him and his brother terribly. I believe my father is a victim of the sixties scoop. I feel it in my soul.

I have been trying to find restitution my entire life for the genocide placed on my birth family and I. I was advertised in the Toronto Telegram newspaper in 1970 after being taken from my birth mother. I have had the great opportunity to know my birth family since (although it took 25 years to meet them); and I was fortunate to have been adopted to a loving non-Aboriginal family. The impact that this has left on me though, has been significant and particularly for my birth mother. She recalls being able to hold me in the hospital in Thunder Bay right after I was born for 3 hours before social services took me away. Imagine her sense of huge loss knowing that when I was born, she would only be allowed 3 hours to hold her baby and knowing that I was to be taken from her intentionally by the government in it’s placement of the scoop? Disgraceful on so many levels. She never had anymore children in fear that her other ones would be taken the same way. That is a crime towards her on so many human levels. We need to have restitution for us, particularly our children, and our birth families that suffered incomprehensible loss. Then we that were scooped became outcasts by the non-Aboriginal people and within our Aboriginal communities, not to mention our loss of our inherited culture. This not only applies to the “Indians” as mentioned in the writings, but also Inuit and Metis. It’s not only the First Nations that were affected.

I was in and out of C.A.S since I was 18 months old..Shoved into homes where I was beaten and as I grew up throughout those horrible years..I remember one place Itialian foster parents..I was ordered to get up at 4 am I was only 9 yrs. old and go take care of farm chores..and going to school..I took a cookie and the foster parent he kicked me so hard[my behind] and still have back problems…And finally when I was sent again to different fosters homes…I was always sad…My mum tried to get me back..She sobered up…Won her case to get me back…Next day she was found dead…C.A.S messed up my life big time…ok jumping ahead a bit..I was sent to this group home in Sagamor near Kingston where I was for 7 yrs,,,Sexual abused u name it..I could go on and on…One last thing The Councellor was charged in 2014 ..He is from Toronto..I charged him…C.A.S is responsible for my life being shoved here n there for all these years..,I still hurt,

I remember being put with these people who own a farm. I had to sleep in a shed. I was not to eat with the family. If they let me eat at all. During the day I was put out in the fields to pick out weeds. This is all day.

My mother was forced into residential school, and after she left, joined the army and never spoke to her family ever again. I was born in 1961 but separated from my three half-siblings in 1963 or 1964 – I never met an aboriginal person until I was in my 20s, and I had already developed severe mood disorders and alcohol dependency.I’m much better now, but it has taken so long and in the process, my sister with whom I briefly spoke to a few times, dropped contact with me over a bad drug and alcohol fueled argument.

I have been in a few schools and homes and went through a very traumatic time in my life,I currently live on the reserve in Manitoba but have never had the opportunity to be able to talk to someone to begin my healing,I hope this will begin my jouney on that good red path of healing thank you

Wow… a lot of survivors here… makes my Heart glad… myself I was taken in the middle of the night by cops(?) and they took my Brother, Sister and I at gun-point, because my Family was pissed… Sat in a cas room til I was 3 and was adopted by an English immigrant Family when I was three… they adopted my bro and sis too… so we could be their ranch/farm workers… They beat us with frying pans, whipped us with Willow wands, shoes, bricks or anything they could get their hands on… my Brother fought as he’s a Warrior- and they sent him away as, “incorrigible,” and then started on my older Sister, beat her, abused her and raped her- she left for dorms in school… then they started on me… I stabbed Mr Stow and went to detention center for attempted murder…and never got outta the system til I was 32… I allow my anger to keep me going… one day, I will have some relief from this pain… I will NEVER surrender and I will NEVER forgive what they did to me, to my Family or to my Peoples… I am a Warrior forever now…
Be strong, and find your Gifts and use them to help The People… you will find some relief from memories if you do… Aho! Be strong and don’t falter my People… I am your Brother- Don George, Kettle & Stony Point first nation, Ontario.

C.A.S took me away when I was 8 + from my mother and my mother took me back then throw me into a mental Hospital, that was 1966, got settlement from that Ont, no dam reason for me to be in that Hosp, I became a drunk on the streets of Toronto, but now I’ved been sober for 18 yrs now, life hasn’t been sweeter for me. Farin.

I was removed from Saugeen First Nation at the age of 3 (1959). I immediately became a PGO with Children’s Aid Society and entered Foster Care. In one year I was placed in eighteen different homes. All non-Aboriginal.i was then placed in an Orphanage near Walkerton ON. I was adopted in 1960 into a French-Canadian family and moved to Toronto ON. I was never introduced to my culture until I sought this out as an adult. I finally met some of my bio family at age 22.

Aboriginal children were scooped long before the dates indicated in this form. What about their ability to register with this claim. What other resources/claims take into consideration the cultural effect this scoop had on the next generation of children who were adversely impacted by this scoop? There are many children who also entered government care as a direct result of the 60″s their parents being removed from homes, families, communities and culture.

Hi David.
Is their a formal application for those before the 60’s?
I was an abandoned baby & just found out my real birthdate on Sept.30th, 2016.
I am waiting for an accurate Birth certificate.
I was raised in a German home.I never was German ! I’m like the TV
I was on the front page of 2 newspapers in June 1955.

I developed a mask to convince my new family adopted at 3 that I was alright so I would not be sent away again. 1st experience with the bond of love was devastating to my 1 year old soul. That child who was buried non intentionally was so impacted of this government solution back then. ICWA came in effect 1978, damage already achieved.

she;kon. when myself and my younger brother and younger sister and my older sister were taken from our home in the 60’s .we were taken to a Pastor of a church on the rez.i don’t know how long we were there before our mom and dad come for us.I do think it was summer

BRENDA LEE MARCOUX, BORN LILLOOET, BC. MYSELF AND TWO SIBLING ADOPTED BY NON-NATIVE FAMILY DUE TO THE MURDER OF OUR MOM BY OUR DAD. PROUD TO BE INTERIOR SALISH. WHEN I RESPONDED NO TO SOME OF MY ANSWERS ITS BECAUSE THE CORRECT ANSWER IS NOT ON AN ONTARIO RES BUT A BC RES. THANKS AND GOOD LUCK/// ADOPTEES SHOULD NEVER BE LEFT WITHOUT SUPPORT FROM THEIR COMMUNITIES, SOMEONE PLEASE SHOW YOU CARE. ALL MY RELATIONS. 438 932 0695 IN MONTREAL, QC.

Sry I had to go back and re register because I remembered during my foster care experience the ministry of children aid society told me that mail last name was spelled Aitel after it was Ishtail and found out at 13 my real name was Iahtail. Should you need further information I can be reached at 780-716-4961.
I’m glad this is happening, I envied the residential people who were able to bring justice about the removal, displacement and the abuse. I think we need to move forward…. I know this is opening a can of warms for many. In June I’ll start a sixties Scoop support group

I am glad to hear that this is happening. I feel some payment is due. More for my parents because of what they had to ensure as I was being taken. But the are past on now. I have been seemed by the c as that I am a 60’s child and hope this matter can be closed promptly. Kina giibizamin maajii mnowaangozman anbe dash gaamnowasngozyang. We all came to be happy so be happy.

I really had a hard time in the states, when I back from the states I was in a state of cultural shock. Learning the history of our past by obtaining my education and by reclaiming my culture, I am decolonization. This is part of my process.

When we got taken my little brother Chris and my baby sister Ursula stayed at this foster home but can’t remember the name but anyways we had to eat last …THERE kids are first and when they were done WHAT was left in the small table is what we had to eat…wasn’t much so I starved let my brother Chris eat …I knew he was so hungry can’t remember how my sister Ursula ate maybe she was on the bottle but I let my worker know we are starving.He fed us before we went to our other foster home..

I was the first “Eskimo” advertised in The Toronto Telegram for adoption. My birth mother had me in Ontario. She recalls being able to hold me for 3 hours after I was born, and then taken by Social Services for adoption. Today, my birth mother won’t speak of me, nor her grandson to others out of anger for what she had lost. She never had other children out of fear for them being taken like I was. The disconnection & dislocation for us is unfathomable. It’s time that the world accepts our stories, otherwise what am I leaving my son? How do I heal? How do I feel safe in the world? It’s our time.

Hi Lauren. Do you know what band or what land claims that your father falls under? If your band or land claims has your mother’s information and a timeline to follow, it might make it easier. Also, any piece or timeline would help. Where is your birth family from?

I was removed from my Community before the dates specified on the claimant form, I became a crown ward and lost my language and cultural identity. It has take me years to recover from this era in my life. I spoke fluent Ojibway when I left my community but was not allowed to speak the language to my little brother who has since passed on, I am relearning the language and who I am as an Anishinaabeg. I spent 8 years in care and in that time lost so much especially my connection I had to my family, community and to myself as an Anishinaabeg Kwe.

My siblings and I we’re taken by the children aid society and place in fosters homes. We weren’t living on a reserve then but my mother was Indian and we were taken away from our parents anyway. I moved to five different homes and had to make adjustments many times. I was always ask about my family history but did not know anything till I got older but branded as an Indian. In the community that I lived Indians we’re knowne as Savages. Also in some of these foster homes we we’re their to work. In wich we never got rewarded but the homeowners we’re getting compesaited. We had nothing to say or it was a visit behind the wood shed. It’s time that the government of Canada accept and correct was has happened.

Dunno why my reply wasn’t posted, but, why just removed from Ontario Reserves?? We were taken just the same, in our case (my 2 brothers and sister), in the middle of night and placed in a non-aboriginal foster homes for 3 years, advertised in the CAS catalogue as children available and then adopted out to a non-aboriginal family. The resulting affect was the same; loss of my name/identity, culture, language, family and ties to my Reserve. I too suffered the humiliation of being taken, being teased, bullied and abused, just as much as those taken from the Reserve. Found/find it hard to believe that in 3 years the CAS could not (would not) locate my Mother for her supervised visits, while we were in the foster care system, yet my brother and I would bike to town from the farm we were placed and found our Mother each and everytime, in the home where we were taken or at Grandmothers and/or Uncles. Most troubling, the CAS couldn’t (or didn’t) have our Mother make the Court appearence on the day the adoption was finalized in a town 1 1/2 hrs east of where we lived and taken from her or which we suspect did not want to inform/help her, and suspect this not only happen with us but to a majority of children taken. We finally have here a case that can right the wrong of what happened so many years ago, my question is why is this case limited to just “taken off the Reserve”????

Sorry, yet again, for another post, but, what’s troubling about this case, being taken from my family and fostered by a non-aboriginal family, then adopted out into a non-aboriginal family the ridicule of “you’re an ‘apple'” (no explanation required) there the system won in having my aboriginal ancestory taken and joked off, those years of discrimination and ridicule, I suffered, as a result of being taken….the troubling aspect, as I mentioned in my previous posts, finally a case to right those wrongs, I now find myself yet, again discriminated against simply because I as a aboriginal adoptee who was “not removed from the Reserve”……..I/we, like those removed from the Reserve suffered just as much and lost just as much, what recourse if any do people in my situation have here?? I’m sure I am not the only person interested in hearing what options that are available to us those not removed from the Reserve?

I filled out the questionnaire, yes I was taken from my mother and adopted out in the specified years, but was not removed from a Reserve…..my question then, is a claimant limited and only qualified if only taken from the Reserve????

Ahnee, My name is Clarence Coté. I wish to be removed from registration as I did not live on a reserve. I lived in Toronto, the biggest non-recognized reserve in Canada and it was 62-63, so before the lawsuit.

I was two and a half was really sad that say it was nineteen sixty five there was a fire in my house it was a big house and that last thing I remember my dad saying was my boy that’s my boy Wilbert he is just like his great grand father albert boucher and the firs ripped through the house he said we were going hunting but we never made the trip the next thing I remember we were in fort smith nwt and I was being taken by authorities and given to the preachers and nuns made to pray every day and I thank god they taught me this im great full to the law suit and justice for helping open this chapter in my life and greatful to god that good people like brown and commanda for opening this up there is hope for me after all the mental abuse that still goes on in my everyday affairs thank you all and hello to all the people who suffered your stories will be with me forever

I was Edward George, now Eddy Quill, living in Pikangikum FN. I am missing my little sister, Francis George for over fifty years. Edward, Richard and Francis George are the children of June George from the Kenora area. We were stolen from our mother and relatives many times over when we just children. We lived across the bay from St. Marys School. I hope to see and hold Francis soon before my time is over. I hope that someone will help me find my little sister. She may living in Alberta according our half brother Danny George (BC). It has been too long since I last saw Francis. I hope my plea will be heard. Meegwetch. EQ

I just recently heard about this class action lawsuit, and I told my siblings about this. My older sister, two older brothers and me were taken away from our parents just because my mother was hospitalized with a broken arm from jumping out a window of our two-story house/home which was on fire. My sister knows the details better than me, I was about 2 or 3 at that time of the incident.

My name is Andrew Thomas Langdon. I was born Edward Leslie Antone of the Oneida, the Six Nations Iroquois Peoples. I am a status Indian, a right that was finally given back to me in 1993, 31 years after my birth. My adoption records were closed by the government of Ontario and the Catholic Church. I was adopted by an excellent Caucasian family in my second year and was in foster care before that. I am aware that many others share my birth surname, including an employee of mine who is married to a man of the same surname from the Oneida reserve. I have no idea who I am and where I came from apart from what I pieced together over my 54 years of existence, only distant memories of faces from before my own family’s faces. I reached out to the reserve where I am originally from when I was in my 30’s but heard nothing back. I have never been back to the reserve where I was born, I don’t think I would feel welcomed. I am not looking for anything except the opportunity to be buried with the peoples I was born from. Whatever joy in life I could have experienced from knowing my family and the peoples who share my blood, whom I have common history with is lost and was taken from me when I was taken from my family. Regardless of what life I could have shared with the people I belong to, I only want to rest with the for eternity after I take my last breath so that we can at least stand together before God, or The Maker to go together to wherever we go after this.

I was diagnosed with hyper active disorder as a young child in ccas.
The judges did nothing to try and help me.
I spent the next 40 years incarcerated( total 30 t yrs.) In jails all across Canadian soil.
Even though the judge was told by doctors that I needed specific treatment in order to become better.
I couldn’t become a citizen because of my mental health issues and was abused by vicious guards and racist ideology so much as
to never truly belong anyplace in my own country.

My name is Andre, I am Moose Cree, I was born in Kapuskasing, I grew up in Wawa, I was sent to foster homes in Sault Ste. Marie. During my stay in the Vondette and Nagy homes I was beaten and sexually abused. Years later I reported this to the RCMP and Children’s Aid, they said there was no records and that there was nothing they could do because of the long time lapse.
There are others out there who were victims of these abuses in these homes. If this is you please feel free to contact me to corroborate my story. Someone has to atone for these atrocities.
Please have the courage to deal with this and the truth shall set you free.
I have dealt with my demons and I forgive my abusers.
It is time for the government to do the right thing!
Thanks, Andre (Sutherland) Begin. (Andy)

I don’t understand why I for one cannot be a part of this claim, I did go to the boarding school and suffered immensely, only to be released and taken by CAS, I endure more pain and abuse for being an Ojibway.

We (my older brother and sister) were bounced from foster home to foster home until I was 7 years old. I remember language being a barrier as some of the schools way up north spoke just French. We were flown as part of CAS to Kitchener Ontario from Kirkland Lake and put on a tv show called “Family Finder” it was an adoptive tv show for parents looking to adopt children. We were later placed into a white family and we were the only aboriginal kids in town. Tough times were ahead as our culture was robbed from us and we became “red apples” Red on the outside, white on the inside.

2nd edit: Feeling somewhat elated, the news today confirms so much for me as a Mohawk woman having spent a lifetime reconciling her place, her name and coming to an acceptance in her heart for the life she left behind and the people who she could have known as family. I am pleased for Chief Marcia Brown Martel for the battle she endured and for the wisdom she emparts to all involved both indigenous and non .. we are survivors at a small age of life, like so many of us clan people we were born our own Naton recognized by Royal Proclamation King George as sovereign nations and we were inherently destined on a path of cultural continuity, but there was a massive diversion.. a political strong arm of assimilation that crushed us deeper and further than our previous generations of residential school students… of the 40s and 50s .. I was taken off the reserve by the Children’s Aid at age 2 in 1959, placed into Foster Care in a pig farm orphanage home in Lancaster Ontario for 3 years until I was adopted into a Ukrainian home at age 5 in Oshawa Ontario. The languages imposed upon me were French and Ukrainian and English. My first language was Mohawk. My contention is with the wording of the Class Action and my hope is that the timeline parameters are OPEN to those children taken prior to 1965 and in the 50s and early 60s. …to substantiate this inclusion please refer to: in the Brown vs Canada Summary pdf page17/18 section (74) the Plaintiffs claim in tort (the existence and breach of a common law duty of care) flows directly from the fact that at the time of entering the 1965 Agreement, Canada assumed and breached the obligation to consult with the third-party Indian Bands. … (78) .. a prima facie duty of care is established. It is beyond dispute that there is a special and long-standing historical and constitutional relationship between Canada and aboriginal peoples that has evolved into a unique and important fiduciary relationship. ” My name is Monica Wysotski and I am a Status Mohawk with 100% blood quantum. I have dual citizenship: Canadian and American since my homeland straddles the Canada/US border

I’m of Inuit descent; and I was taken from my birth mother the day that I was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario by Child Welfare and placed in foster care to be “advertised” in the Toronto Telegram as the “first Eskimo baby for adoption in Toronto.” I have the newspaper clipping. I also wonder because my birth mother IS native, that she was treated as an off-reserve “Indian” because she’s native and was living in Ontario when I was born. We COUNT also. Nakurmiik.

Myself and siblings were removed from more
Then a few occasions for no apparent reason and place in a
Non-aboriginal homes and forced to have no Communication with my biological parents, this went on for at least three years . I would like to have closure that brought a lot of nightmares as a child and to adulthood,

Kim was adopted as a baby no mention of native heritage on adoption papers , would like more information on this law suit , was adopted out in AB , Grandmother from Central BC, Birth mother was in a residential school. Finally got my status, trying to claim back my culture. This has been a long journey. Any help with all this would be most appreciated. Thank you so much..

I was taken from my birth mother in 1978 from Lac Seul First Nation. I was transferred to foster care in Thunder Bay and adopted inter-provincially in 1984 by ‘white people’ and grew up in Manitoba. I eventually found my birth mother. From what I understand, she may have been forced or persuaded to sign the adoption papers and give me up.

I was also taken from my family I the sixties, and never informed that I was native. If it had not been for a worker from INAC I would still have no clue. I later had to go back to my home reserve to find out who and what I really was. If I had known or had knowledge of the fact that I belonged to my reserve, as well as access to the educational benefits amongst other things, I am sure my life would have had a drastic difference. Also the welcome reception by my first nation when I returned, was monumental in my life, and I have found what had been missing in my life for many years.

Our mother, left in the middle of the night with her bags, I was the oldest of 5 children. Never to be heard from again until I was older. My father was a native man who according to him was not given the right to raise us. Instead he raised another family of 6 native children. I don’t understand why they ( the C.A.S.) would let this happen.
My siblings and myself were separated into 2 foster homes. My brother who has now past away and baby sister had a good foster home and my 2 sisters and myself were placed in the first foster home was horrible,we were abused on a regular basis by the mother she had 2 normal children and 2 mentally challenged children, she took her frustrations put on us I can remember the welts on my sisters and myself. I did let the C.A.S. know what was happening. They removed us from that home and placed in a different town and their we stayed until we went down south.
for many years until we were adopted in white family in the Toronto area. We met our adopted family once and then shipped to Toronto area.

#10 says I was non-status but previous questions I’d answered that I am. Since a very young age, 3yrs old at least (voluntary care and involuntary care), I’d been in and out of care. At age approx. 14yrs old, I’d become permanent ward of court. I’d always wished that the gov’t should have done more to keep my family together. 2 of my 4 siblings had been adopted. Other 2 had gone to live with their father. Marcia, thank you for going through this long process! May there be restitution for our survivors and their families. All my relations!

I was 2 when my sister and I were place into foster care as our mother died. We were placed in foster care together until the age of 6 as I was separated and we were not adopted together. I was adopted into a white family. I found out years later that I had 5 sisters and a brother. I have been back to thunder bay however the memories really hurt